A final reckoning…
With the fate of her missing sister, Ísafold, finally uncovered, Áróra feels a fragile relief as the search that consumed her life draws to a close. But when Ísafold’s boyfriend – the prime suspect in her disappearance – is found dead at the same site where Ísafold’s body was discovered, Áróra’s grip on reality starts to unravel … and the mystery remains far from solved.
To distract herself, she dives headfirst into a money-laundering case that her friend Daníel is investigating. But she soon finds that there is more than meets the eye and, once again, all leads point towards Engihjalli, the street where Ísafold lived and died, and a series of shocking secrets that could both explain and endanger everything…
Atmospheric, dark and chilling, Black as Death is the breathtaking finale to the twisty, immersive An Áróra Investigation series, as Áróra and her friends search for answers that may take them to places even darker than death…
I'm delighted to be hosting the blog tour for Black as Death by Lilja Sigurdardóttir today. Many thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
Black as Death is the fifth and final book in Lilja Sigurdardóttir's superb An Áróra Investigation series and the series comes full circle as Áróra finally discovers exactly what happened to her sister, Ísafold. Although I've always recommended reading this series in order because the quality of writing and immersive stories deserve no less, it hasn't necessarily been vital to do so. This time, however, I really would encourage you to have read at least the first book, Cold as Hell first in order to really appreciate Lilja Sigurdardóttir's clever plotting which leads to this emotional conclusion to Áróra's heartbreaking search for Ísafold.
The tragic inevitability of Ísafold's fate is felt even more deeply here thanks to the flashback chapters written from her perspective. It's both fascinating and agonising to bear witness to her suffering at the hands of her boyfriend, Björn and Lilja Sigurdardóttir empathetically examines why a woman might stay with her violent abuser. Despite having been conditioned to think of herself as simple-minded by Björn, it is clear that Ísafold was actually a resourceful young woman who desperately clung to the brief moments where she felt loved. She obviously makes the wrong choices here – choices which ultimately resulted in her brutal murder – but while the melancholic weight foreknowledge is distressing, Lilja Sigurdardóttir never blames her for her beatings or her death.
The guilt Áróra feels is equally as well described in Black as Death; after all, she arguably had the opportunity to help her sister but, frustrated by Ísafold's refusal to walk away, she made a decision which has long haunted her. Her anguish is further intensified here when she hears a disturbing update from the investigation into the murder of Ísafold – and of Björn. Her lover, Daniel has been removed from the case but is still close enough to be able to keep her abreast of any updates. He is disheartened to be handed a financial investigation linked to a big international money-laundering operation. The return of the fabulous Lady Gúgúlú brings some much needed light relief both to Daniel and to the storyline. Helena, meanwhile, is still working on Ísafold's murder and is paired with an ambitious new graduate, Vala. As she tries to make some headway by re-questioning some of the people who knew Ísafold best in her final months, she also has to negotiate workplace misogyny as well as complications in her personal life.
Although the mystery of Ísafold and Björn's murders is compulsively intriguing, what really sets this series apart is the rich characterisation. Lilja Sigurdardóttir's beautifully perceptive writing ensures these complicated, flawed individuals are vibrantly, authentically real throughout. A word here, too for Lorenza Garcia's seamless translation which sees the narrative flows effortlessly. In an attempt to distract herself from her constant thoughts of Ísafold, Áróra immerses herself in Daniel's financial case, and this sub-plot is just as satisfyingly perplexing. Eventually, of course, this twisty, emotional rollercoaster reaches its sombre conclusion. We already know there can't be a happy ending of course but there is some resolution and perhaps even a little hope. Black as Death is an outstanding finale to a brilliant series but I hope Lilja Sigurdardóttir will forgive me when I say I'll always keep my fingers crossed for more from at least some of the wonderful characters she has touched my heart with here!
Black as Death is published by Orenda Books and can be purchased from their website, further purchasing links can be found here.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
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About the Translator
Lorenza Garcia was born and brought up in England. She spent her early twenties living and working in Iceland and Spain. In 1998 she graduated from Goldsmiths with a first-class honors degree in Spanish and Latin American studies. She moved to France in 2001, where she lived for seven years. Since 2006 she has translated and co-translated more than thirty novels and works of nonfiction from the French, the Spanish, and the Icelandic
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